Unsung Heroes

“Aai, I will become a doctor when I grow up and cure people without money,” promised 8-year-old Swapnil Mane to his mother, as he helplessly watched his poor neighbour die of cancer. Twenty years later, this oncosurgeon and his wife have helped thousands of cancer sufferers in 52 villages in Maharashtra and have operated on 550 patients for free.

When Swapna's mother was diagnosed with dementia and she became her primary caregiver, she realized that there is not enough information available on the subject. That's when she decided to start a YouTube channel to bridge this gap.

“Everyone should be in a position to speak, say, listen and be heard,” says Archana Kapoor. As the founder of a national award-winning community radio initiative in Mewat, Haryana, she is certainly giving voice to many who have long been quiet in this backward community

An environmentalist from Uttar Pradesh is on a year-long cycling tour of the country. His mission? To spread the message of a Swachh Bharat – a cleaner country. This is how he is doing it.

Ever since the advent of the internet and e-books, printed books are of no value anywhere now. So thought this US citizen who had books to give away. An ACP in Tirupur, India, disagreed. The books crossed the ocean and found a home in his police station.

They call him the ‘young Gandhi’ in his village of Thennur in Tamil Nadu. Like Gandhi, he returned from abroad with a renewed commitment to his environment — to work with the infirm, the young and the needy. It’s been 10 years and his work is having some amazing impact on the ground.

The excerpt from the book 'My Half Of The Sky’ by Indrani Raimedhi talks about Birubala Rabha who has been crusading against witch-hunting for several years now. She went door-to-door to spread awareness about the cause and became architect of the country’s most stringent laws against witch-hunting recently enacted by Assam.

Orthopaedic equipment is expensive — wheelchairs cost thousands and even lakhs of rupees, while even a simple pair of crutches can tot up to a few hundred. But more important is the fact that most of the time, this equipment has a short-term use. Falguni Doshi of Vadodara has come up with an innovative way of recycling the equipment while helping the needy.

Meet Rintu, the designer turned home-baker who made a very special Ganesha idol this year - an idol made of chocolate which served the larger purpose of feeding many underprivileged children in Mumbai. Here are seven more amazing things to know about her, and the great work she does to contribute to the betterment of the society in her own way.

Thousands of orphaned children in India never find loving homes because the authorities take too long to declare them ‘free for adoption.’ By the time they can be legally adopted, they have grown, and prospective parents in search of newborns pass them over. Prabhavati Muthal, 79-years-old and mother of to two adopted orphans herself, has been fighting to get justice for these children all her life.